King John’s Castle
(6 miles / 9.5 km – 2 hours 15 minutes)
This walk takes you through woodlands over to Greywell (pub). It then follows the Basingstoke Canal past King John’s Castle (13th century) to North Warnborough where there are two more pubs. It then comes back across Bartley Heath (another pub). The heath is a great place for wildlife including deer, the resident New Forest ponies, and many species of flowers and butterflies (summer) and fungi (autumn).
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| Name / Position / Elevation | Bearing / Distance |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
| WP0001 SU 72409 54205 82 m |
Head towards Basingstoke from the village centre. | |
| WP0002 SU 71729 53695 94 m |
233°T 850 m |
After 800m take a right down Morris Street. |
| WP0003 SU 71469 53665 95 m |
264°T 262 m |
|
| WP0004 SU 71339 53580 96 m |
237°T 155 m |
|
| WP0005 SU 71269 53550 96 m |
247°T 76.2 m |
Follow this until it meets Old School Road. Turn right and within 50m left down a road signposted Fosters Business Park. |
| WP0006 SU 71134 53560 95 m |
275°T 135 m |
After 10m take footpath to left and continue via track past Basingstoke Country Hotel. |
| WP0007 SU 71089 53465 97 m |
206°T 105 m |
Cross A30 and walk down Heather Row for 700m. |
| WP0008 SU 71169 52915 104 m |
172°T 556 m |
|
| WP0009 SU 71109 52740 105 m |
199°T 185 m |
Cross motorway and take footpath immediately on your left. |
| WP0010 SU 71124 52485 112 m |
177°T 256 m |
Then walk through trees to gravel path to your right. |
| WP0011 SU 71159 52440 113 m |
142°T 57 m |
|
| WP0012 SU 71349 52445 110 m |
089°T 190 m |
After 250m follow path to right. |
| WP0013 SU 71364 52165 113 m |
177°T 280 m |
Then keep going straight on and bear left on path after 200m. |
| WP0014 SU 71324 52040 111 m |
198°T 131 m |
|
| WP0015 SU 71359 51900 112 m |
166°T 144 m |
At the next path crossroads, take second turning (11 o’clock). |
| WP0016 SU 71359 51655 112 m |
180°T 245 m |
Cross path through kissing gates and eventually into a field. |
| WP0017 SU 71404 51550 109 m |
157°T 114 m |
|
| WP0018 SU 71464 51425 99 m |
155°T 139 m |
Take path to left after 150m signposted ‘to the tunnel’. |
| WP0019 SU 71699 51480 91 m |
077°T 241 m |
Follow down hill until it reaches the road. Turn right. |
| WP0020 SU 71834 51440 86 m |
107°T 141 m |
The Fox and Goose pub is ahead of you. Turn left down Deptford Lane. |
| WP0021 SU 71849 51370 85 m |
168°T 71.6 m |
|
| WP0022 SU 71904 51365 82 m |
095°T 55.2 m |
After 10m, take path on left and join canal towpath. |
| WP0023 SU 71914 51450 84 m |
007°T 85.6 m |
Continue along canal path. |
| WP0024 SU 72184 51490 77 m |
082°T 273 m |
|
| WP0025 SU 72499 51835 73 m |
043°T 467 m |
You pass King John’s Castle on your left. Take care of falling masonry. |
| WP0026 SU 72844 51735 76 m |
106°T 359 m |
|
| WP0027 SU 73039 51825 77 m |
066°T 215 m |
|
| WP0028 SU 73234 51720 79 m |
119°T 222 m |
After 1.5km, pass under a road bridge. (The Swan pub is on the road to your right). |
| WP0029 SU 73339 51810 78 m |
050°T 138 m |
|
| WP0030 SU 73319 51965 77 m |
353°T 156 m |
After about 300m, you pass the back entrance to the Jolly Miller pub on your left. |
| WP0031 SU 73359 52115 74 m |
015°T 155 m |
Continue for a further 100m and take footpath on left down across field. |
| WP0032 SU 73324 52200 71 m |
338°T 92 m |
Cross river at the left bridge with the pipe. |
| WP0033 SU 73214 52210 71 m |
276°T 110 m |
Turn left and join main road and turn right towards roundabout. Go straight across it down small road past Lord Derby pub (on right) and continue straight on woodland path. |
| WP0034 SU 72934 52765 74 m |
334°T 622 m |
Take path to right after 100m and follow until it crosses the motorway at a footbridge. |
| WP0035 SU 73144 53110 72 m |
032°T 404 m |
|
| WP0036 SU 73290 53180 71 m |
065°T 161 m |
|
| WP0037 SU 73260 53250 71 m |
337°T 76.2 m |
Carry straight on and take footpath to left |
| WP0038 SU 73285 53400 71 m |
010°T 152 m |
About 100m after you cross under the pylon wires and head towards some open woodlands (back under pylon wires again). |
| WP0039 SU 72969 53485 73 m |
285°T 326 m |
Follow path across heath and then back through silver birch to a stile near to the Griffin Way roundabout. |
| WP0040 SU 72649 53575 80 m |
286°T 333 m |
Turn right at it back up Station Road into Hook centre. |
| WP0041 SU 72549 53665 82 m |
312°T 135 m |
|
| WP0042 SU 72464 53880 83 m |
339°T 231 m |
|
| WP0043 SU 72444 54245 82 m |
357°T 366 m |
Hook centre has local shops and three pubs all within two minutes walk: The Raven Hotel, The Old White Hart and the White Hart. |
| Total distance: | 9.5 km |
Transport to start of walk:
- Walk from your home, if you live in Hook.
- By Bus or Train – see the Transport Page for the latest information.
- Car: A long term car park is available near to Hook centre off Reading Road (opposite the White Hart pub). Note that the free car parks in front of the shops may have time restrictions.